China is
assembling the Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket to launch China’s first space station module, Tianhe, with launch from Wenchang expected in April.
The launch of the first 22-tonne module for China’s space station has been delayed a few years by issues with the Long March 5 rocket, but China is now making final preparations for a low-Earth orbit station envisioned as part of a human spaceflight programme initiated in 1992.
The Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft and Shenzhou-12 crewed mission are also being readied, with the astronauts for the latter already selected and undergoing intense training.